Film review
A lawyer’s the good guy in this horrifying portrayal of a battle against the power of a chemical giant.
Remember Julia Roberts in the Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich? It was based on the real story of a woman who took on a massive American power company, which was knowingly poisoning the water in her town.
That film was released 20 years ago, at the same time one of the world’s largest chemical conglomerates, DuPont, was involved in something similar. Dark Waters is the story of the lawyer who spent two decades trying to expose DuPont.
It is based on articles written about that lawyer, Robert Bilott, including the New York Times piece, “The lawyer who became DuPont’s worst nightmare”. Bilott wrote a bestseller which forms the framework of the film. Cast in the lead role as Bilott is Mark Ruffalo and this feels personal. The Hulk actor may earn his coin and his fans playing an angry green Avenger, but to his six million followers on Twitter he’s committed to protecting the real planet Earth and is an advocate for fighting climate change.
We begin Bilott’s journey just as he makes partner at a big Cincinnati law firm. He specialises in environmental law and represents some of the biggest chemical companies in America. But when an old family friend asks for his help, he will be called upon to do the exact opposite; to side with the plaintiff, not the corporation. What he slowly uncovers is the stuff of nightmares and on the big screen as a feature film, it’s just as horrific.
The story needs little embellishment to render it vital viewing, but the way director Todd Haynes tells it, with resolute attention to detail and a grim, ominous colour palette, he elevates this horrible truth into a high impact call to action.
Ruffalo’s performance is rich with restraint and without a whiff of
Hollywood histrionics, fuelling the authenticity of Haynes’ vision and the bare facts of the case. Alongside him is Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables/Rachel Getting Married) as his wife Sarah, a lawyer and mother, and Tim Robbins (The Player/The Shawshank Redemption) as his boss Tom Terp. Not only do they rattle the right cages, but together do another very rare thing these days; restore a little faith in the legal profession.
Patient, procedural, potent – I urge you to take the dive and swim these “dark waters”. You may feel the need for a scalding hot shower afterwards and even then you might find yourself wondering what was in the water.
★★★★1/2